It’s hot and we are ready for some cool breezes with this month’s theme of jungle for August 2022. There are some really cool jungle theme blocks this month. Our complimentary block of the month for Quilt Block Mania, during the month of August 2022, Teal Gorilla, is a fun and playful one for making a child’s quilt. If you like receiving the complimentary blocks from Quilt Block Mania, please share this with your quilting friends on social media (please ask them to sign up for their own copy) so the designers can continue to do this every month. The designers thank you for your support, through your purchases of other patterns, which allow us to offer these complimentary block patterns each month.
Hearts Cover
BB cover
In August 2022, we are offering 20% off two of our previous block of the month patterns. They are the Hearts Aflutter Block pattern and Budgie on a Branch pattern. The link to these patterns is here: downloadable-patterns/
Quilt Block Mania has 12 talented quilt designers creating blocks for this month’s theme- Jungle. Here are the theme colors this month.
Teal-Gorilla
This is the Teal Gorilla block. This block features a teal gorilla with a light blue body on a melon green background.
Here is a photo of the Teal Gorilla block made with fabrics from my stash.
stash block
The Teal Gorilla block makes fun 32″ x 32″ small quilts or wall hangings with 4 Teal Gorilla blocks, a 1″ finished gray inner border and a 3″ finished dark teal outer border. These would make such fun quilts for a child or grandchild’s room.
Gorilla Go Round
Spinning Gorillas
Mirror Gorillas
How to get the block
If you are new to our website and are interested in downloading a complimentary PDF pattern of our Teal Gorilla block for August, all you have to do is look for the box on our blog, on the right hand side, that says “Like this content? Sign up for free updates” and sign up to receive our newsletter. When you have done that, you will receive a welcoming email from us that will contain a coupon code and a link back to the complimentary pattern. You will act as though you are purchasing the pattern and in the cart, you will apply the coupon code, which will make the pattern free. You will need to fill out contact information, but no payment method will be necessary. Don’t worry, we do not send out newsletters very often and we never sell email addresses or contact information. Here is what the pattern looks like. It is in a format very similar to most Blue Bear Quilt patterns, so if you see what you like in this complimentary pattern, you will like our other patterns as well.
Please note: This pattern will only be complimentary during the month of August 2022.
Teal Gorilla Cover
Current newsletter subscribers, don’t despair! You will be able to download the complimentary pattern as well. You have already been sent a newsletter on August 2nd which gave you the coupon code.
Be sure to follow us on our Instagram page, @bluebearquilts, as that is where we occasionally have giveaways.
Be sure to look at my last blog post, which has the details for my July project as an Island Batik Ambassador, where I made a quilt featuring the Accuquilt Tree of Life Die.
Tree of Life From the Underside
Throughout the year, there will be tutorials, blog hops, giveaway, etc. I love batiks and I am so excited to share the projects that I make throughout the coming year with you. If you like my July Project, stay tuned for my August project which will be a making a mini quilt.
Please follow me on social media so you don’t miss a thing.
Also, please check out our Tik Tok and YouTube Channels (Blue Bear Quilts) for more quilting fun and inspiration.
We are so happy that you stopped by to visit us in the Quilt Block Mania hop and we hope that you like our block. Please stop by to see all of the other designer’s wonderful blocks.
QBM August Jungle
You can click on the links to the other blocks here.
This is my July 2022 project as an Island Batik Ambassador. The first part of this month’s challenge was to use the Accuquilt Tree of Life die to create a unique project. Accuquilt provided the Tree of Life die, and Island Batik provided fabric, to the Ambassadors so they could create their projects in this challenge. This die is a BOB or block on board. What that means is that you are able to cut all of the pieces you need to complete a tree of life block with one pass through the cutting machine.
Tree of Life Die and Fabric
The die has metal blades set in foam and when you place the fabric on the die and cover it with a mat, there is a roller in the cutter that presses down on the fabric and cuts out the needed shapes. Here is a Tik Tok video I did showing how I cut out the fabric.
I designed the quilt in Electric Quilt and this is the design I came up with. It is a bright and colorful design, orienting four tree of life blocks toward the outside corners. The blocks are uniquely colored to create the graphic design of the quilt. It almost has an Art Deco feel to it.
I needed some wonderful solids to make this quilt. Did you know that Island Batik has solids? Well, they do! I chose solids in red, blue, yellow, orange, green and lime. I used stash buster strip rolls for the colors and accented them with white and black to make them shine. The stash busters are 5″ wide strips and are great to work with on this type of project as they are already cut into a smaller size to be able to use with the Accuquilt Die.
Here is how I laid out the blocks after I had cut all of the desired shapes. It is really helpful to lay out your block ahead of time to keep everything organized. The half square triangles were sewn in rows and then the rows were sewn together. The Accuquilt die has great instructions for how to sew the block together.
block lay out
As mentioned above, a great thing about cutting out your shapes with the Acccuquilt Tree of Life die is that all of the shapes you need for one block can be cut with one pass through the cutting machine. You can put 6 layers of fabric on the die, so you could cut out 6 blocks at once. Also, the dog ears are cut off and if you are a really good sewist, there is no trimming that is needed to square up the blocks.
cut out shapes
After I had the quilt top sewn together, using my favorite thread, Auriful, it was time to make a quilt sandwich with some awesome batting (Heirloom 80/20 blend) provided by Hobbs Batting.
quilt sandwich
Time to quilt with my Janome 6600. This machine is a power horse! I knew I wanted to quilt in straight lines, so I used my favorite quilting ruler for that purpose- the Line Tamer by Four Paws Quilting. Your ruler work foot just follows the cut out groove in the ruler and gives you nice straight lines.
Line Tamer
Voila! The quilt is all done. I machine pieced the black binding to the front and then used clips to hold the binding in place on the back while I stitched in the ditch on the front.
finished quilt
Part two of this Christmas in July project was to gift the quilt to someone and bring them a little joy. When I decided on the name of the quilt, I knew who I wanted to give it to as a gift. I named the quilt “Tree of Life From the Underside.” Imagine laying on the ground, under a tree, and looking up at the bottom of the branches spreading out. I felt the quilt gave this perspective of the tree.
I see the tree of life as representing life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Many in society are able to stand alongside the tree and enjoy the view from many perspectives. Yet there are others around the world who do not have that same ability and they are kept under the tree and can’t enjoy all of the beauty the tree represents. These people may include the elderly, poor. foreigners, women, gays, jewish people, blacks, asians, indigenous people or people with disabilities. They want to see the tree from all sides and the wonderful things it represents, but they are kept down below the branches.
There is a poem, by Poet Laureate, Amanda Gorman, called “_ _ _ _ _Gated.” In the poem she compares how the pandemic was a leveler, and all were equally prevented from doing what they wanted to do, or told what they had to do. Sharing for a brief time what it feels like to be living in the margins.
Here are a few quotes from the poem. “To be haunted is to be hunted by a history that is still hurting. Needing healing as much as we do. … Call us… colonized, …cleansed, controlled, killed, … contained, concentrated, conditioned… We have yielded centuries of sidewalk, trained in this tradition before we even lived it- what it is to bow our heads & make room for someone else’s pride, that ceding of the walkway…Why is it so perturbing for privileged groups to follow restrictions of place & personhood. Doing so means for once wearing the chains their power has shackled on the rest of us….Meanwhile for generations we’ve stayed home,…kept out of public spaces…kept out of ballot boxes, kept out of office, kept out of the army, kept out of hospitals…kept out of jobs, kept out of schools, kept out of sports…kept out of land, kept out of kept in kept from kept behind kept below kept down kept without life. Some were asked to walk a fraction/ of our exclusion for a year & it almost destroyed all they thought they were. Yet here we are. Still walking, still kept. To be kept to the edges of existence is the inheritance of the marginalized. …If we remember anything, let it be to remember. A road forward we shall have if we keep walking.”
This poem is powerful and it is found in her book called ” Call us what we carry.” If you can find a copy of the book at your local bookstore, or library, I would urge you to do so.
For me, the tree also represents hope. growth and rebirth. The leaves of the tree are all unique and yet they are interconnected. The tree is strong and provides shelter from the storms. Under the tree is also a place for peace and tranquility. Finally it is a place for growth and rebirth. A mighty oak grows from a tiny acorn. Each year the leaves turn brown and die but then are reborn in the Spring with the prospect of new growth. As we keep walking, the tree keeps inspiring growth.
I wanted to give this quilt to someone who treats everyone as equal and places no one in the margins, even as difficult as that may be in a society that likes to create margins. Someone who keeps walking. Someone immediately came to mind. It was a friend, Pastor Joyce Stone. She is a pastor of a church in Florida that not only welcomes all but affirms their very nature. Christ the Cornerstone is a beacon of light for all. When I told Pastor Joyce about the gift, she told me that they have a tree of life in the church where people can place leaves about the things God has done for them in their lives. I knew I had made the right choice for the gift recipient.
I placed a hanging sleeve on the back of the quilt so that it may be hung for all to see. It is my desire that the quilt will stand as a symbol of the hope, growth and rebirth the tree represents. I hope it will inspire those who can stand alongside the tree, and enjoy all of its beauty and freedom, to come to the underside and see the shelter, strength and connectivity the tree provides and invite those living under the tree to come and stand beside the tree with them. I also hope that those who may only see the tree from the underside will keep walking so that one day they will be able to stand alongside the tree and see the life, liberty and happiness it provides from all angles.
Here is a picture of Pastor Joyce with the quilt. Her smile radiates Joy!
Pastor Joyce with quilt
Pastor Joyce and I in front of the Tree of Life in her church
If you would like to see me talking about the quilt, I also have a YouTube video about it on my YouTube channel, Blue Bear Quilts. Here is a link to the video: https://youtu.be/duB3fqtL2ac
YouTube Video
Island Batik
The supplies I used to make this project were provided by:
Island Batik Stash Buster 5″ strip roll for the top.
The other Island Batik Ambassadors have also been busy creating Christmas in July projects. If you would like to see what the other ambassadors have been up to, check out their projects by clicking on the links next to their names to be directed to their blog posts.
Summer is here and we are ready for some summer concerts with this month’s theme of music for July 2022. There are a lot of great musical blocks this month. Our complimentary block of the month for Quilt Block Mania, during the month of July 2022, Xylophone, is a fun and playful one for creating a modern quilt. If you like receiving the complimentary blocks from Quilt Block Mania, please share this with your quilting friends on social media (please ask them to sign up for their own copy) so the designers can continue to do this every month. The designers thank you for your support, through your purchases, which allow us to offer these complimentary block patterns each month.
In July 2022, we are offering 20% off two of our newest digital download quilt patterns. They are the Riding the Waves quilt pattern and Chess Match table runner pattern. The link to these patterns is here: downloadable-patterns/
Riding cover
CM Cover
Quilt Block Mania has 14 talented quilt designers creating blocks for this month’s theme- music. There are no theme colors this month, so I chose a colorful rainbow palette based upon a child’s xylophone.
child xylophone
xylophone block
This is the Xylophone block. This block features a rainbow of colors on a white background.
Here is a photo of the Xylophone block made with fabrics from my stash.
stash block
The Xylophone block makes a fun 57″ x 21″ table runner with 4 xylophone blocks, a 1″ finished gray inner border and a 3″ finished white outer border. I have also shown another version of the table runner where you rotate the blocks 180 degrees. I also show what the block looks as a couple of quilts.
Table Runner
TR 2
xylo quilt
xylo quilt 2
How to get the block
If you are new to our website and are interested in downloading a complimentary PDF pattern of our Xylophone block for July, all you have to do is look for the box on our blog, on the right hand side, that says “Like this content? Sign up for free updates” and sign up to receive our newsletter. When you have done that, you will receive a welcoming email from us that will contain a coupon code and a link back to the complimentary pattern. You will act as though you are purchasing the pattern and in the cart, you will apply the coupon code, which will make the pattern free. You will need to fill out contact information, but no payment method will be necessary. Don’t worry, we do not send out newsletters very often and we never sell email addresses or contact information. Here is what the pattern looks like. It is in a format very similar to most Blue Bear Quilt patterns, so if you see what you like in this complimentary pattern, you will like our other patterns as well.
Please note: This pattern will only be complimentary during the month of July 2022.
Xylo cover
Current newsletter subscribers, don’t despair! You will be able to download the complimentary pattern as well. You have already been sent a newsletter on July 5th which gave you the coupon code.
Be sure to follow us on our Instagram page, @bluebearquilts, as that is where we occasionally have giveaways.
Be sure to look at my last blog post, which has the details for my June project as an Island Batik Ambassador, where I made a quilt featuring New York Beauty blocks.
New York Beauty Angels
Throughout the year, there will be tutorials, blog hops, giveaway, etc. I love batiks and I am so excited to share the projects that I make throughout the coming year with you. If you like my June Project, stay tuned for my July project which will be a project using the Accuquilt Tree of Life die.
Please follow me on social media so you don’t miss a thing.
Also, please check out our Tik Tok and YouTube Channels (Blue Bear Quilts) for more quilting fun and inspiration.
We are so happy that you stopped by to visit us in the Quilt Block Mania hop and we hope that you like our block. Please stop by to see all of the other designer’s wonderful blocks.
Quilt Block Mania Music
You can click on the links to the other blocks here.
The world could use a little bit of beauty right now. I hope you will find some beauty, joy and inspiration from this month’s Island Batik blog hop. I have completed my June project as an Island Batik Ambassador and I am so excited to share it with you. This month is a blog hop and if you check out the Island Batik blog, you can enter each week to win a fat quarter bundle of some of the fabrics that the Ambassadors are using in their projects. I will show the other fabric collections later in this blog along with a link to the giveaway from Island Batik and links to other ambassador’s blogs.
New York Beauty Blog Hop
The June project was to make a quilt with New York Beauty blocks using an upcoming fabric line from Island Batik. I was so excited when the fabric I was given to use was Jewel Carvings by Kathy Engle. Just look at this gorgeous collection of batik fabrics. The Jewel Carvings may be found at your local quilt shop that carries Island Batik, such as Fabric Smart in St. Petersburg FL. You may find them online at www.fabric-smart.com or call them at 727-914-8850.
Jewel Carvings
The quilt I made is called Beauty Pageant. It is a large lap quilt size 49″ x 59.” This is a dazzling quilt has a diagonal row of New York Beauty blocks surrounded by intricate nine patch blocks.
Beauty Pageant
I will have a pattern coming out later this summer or fall for this quilt after the testers are done testing the pattern. It’s always fun to find cool locations for the photo shoot.
NY Beauty Mystery solved
The batik bundle I was provided was the Jewel Carvings collection by Kathy Engle. Look at this glorious selection of blue, teal, green and purple batiks. These fabrics were so beautiful that it was really hard to cut them up.
Jewel Carvings
I downloaded the images of the fabric collection into my Electric Quilt software, which is the software I use to design quilts. This is what the quilt looked like in the software. It’s pretty close to the real quilt don’t you think? I love how the white and black fabrics highlight the fabrics in the Jewel Carvings collection.
NY Beauty
New York Beauty quilts are called that as they have New York Beauty blocks in them. The New York Beauty block got its name as it has spikes just like the famous Statue of Liberty in NYC.
statue of liberty
I decided to showcase the NY Beauty blocks as though they are walking on a central catwalk among a sea of admiring fans. The fans are all of the squares in the nine patch blocks. The spikes in the New York Beauty blocks are made with paper piecing so you can achieve those nice sharp points. You lay two fabrics right side together and then sew on the lines.
paper piecing
When you sew the other pieces to the arch with the spikes, there is curved piecing involved. I wanted to make sure that the pieces lined up correctly as I slowly sewed a quarter inch along those gentle curves. Thus, a lot of pinning was involved. This will insure success with those curves. When you press, the block will naturally tell you which direction it wants to be pressed. What’s great about working with Island Batik fabric is that there is no right or wrong side, making the paper piecing much easier and, that the fabrics cut, and press, nice and crisp.
pinning
To sew the smaller nine patches, I sewed long strips together and then sub cut units into the appropriate sizes. I then chain pieced the smaller nine patches to the larger nine patch pieces. Mama always said that the back of the block should look as neat as the front.
chain piecingback of block
New York Beauty blocks can be a little challenging to sew and thus even though my blocks look pretty accurate, I knew there could be trouble if I had to place the blocks right next to each other. Thus, I decided to separate them with sashing. This is a good little trick if you are worried that the seams of your blocks may not line up properly. It also creates some definition to the blocks.
sashing
I used Amanda Murphy’s Good Measure Circle rulers to quilt some circular designs around the squares in the nine patch blocks. These rulers work well with the rulerwork foot on my Janome 6600. I also used some of the Creative Grids quilting rulers by Angela Walters. I used white and black 50 wt. Aurifil thread on the front and a teal on the back. I used a 70/10 quilting needle from Schmetz Needles. For the batting, I tried Hobbs Tuscany Collection Silk batting. I had never used this batting before and it was very easy to quilt on my Janome. Hobbs Tuscany Silk Batting breathes naturally, making it an excellent choice for airy, lightweight quilts, and while it’s a cool quilt, it can also provide excellent warmth. Hobbs Tuscany Silk Batting is a blend of 90% very fine imported silk filaments and 10% fine polyester, ingredients which are carded and bonded to help retard bearding and fiber migration.
Hobbs Tuscany Silk Batting
The supplies I used to make this project were provided by:
If you are on TikTok, be sure to check out the video I have posted of me with the quilt. (Look for Blue Bear Quilts)
Blue Bear hopes you are ready for summer. Please let him know how much you love the this quilt by writing to him in the comments!
Blue Bear
New York Beauty Angels
The other amazing Island Batik Ambassadors are also posting their June Blog Hop New York Beauty quilts. Check out their projects by clicking on the links next to their names to be directed to their blog posts.
The week one giveaway of the Blog Hop started on Friday, June 3rd. Two lucky winners will each get a Fat Quarter bundle of a complete Island Batik collection by Kathy Engle – the luminous Jewel Carvings or the bold Nightshade!
To enter for your chance to win one of the two prizes above, follow the simple Rafflecopter prompts below.
This giveaway ends June, 10 at 11:59 pm PST. Two random winners will be notified by email on June, 11 and announced on the Island Batik Facebook page on June, 14. If the winners do not respond within the first two days after being notified, two new random winners will be chosen and notified.
Summer is here and we are heading to the ocean and Quilt Block Mania is ready with this month’s theme of under the sea for June 2022. There are a lot of great seaside blocks this month. Our complimentary block of the month for Quilt Block Mania, during the month of June 2022, Whirlpool, is a fun one for toddlers or to create a modern quilt. If you like receiving the complimentary blocks from Quilt Block Mania, please share this with your quilting friends on social media (please ask them to sign up for their own copy) so the designers can continue to do this every month. The designers thank you for your support, through your purchases, which allow us to offer these complimentary block patterns each month.
In June 2022, we are offering 20% off two of our newest digital download quilt patterns. They are Buckles Quilt and Buttons and Bows Quilt. The link to these patterns is here: downloadable-patterns/
Buckles Cover
Buttons Cover
Quilt Block Mania has 17 talented quilt designers creating blocks for this month’s theme- under the sea. Here are the theme colors for this month.
June 22 Color-Palette
Whirlpool Block
This is the Whirlpool block. This block features appliquéd medium and dark blue swirls on a light blue, orange and red orange background.
Here is a photo of the Whirlpool block made with fabrics from my stash.
block from stash
The Whirlpool block makes a fun 52″ x 24″ table runner with 3 Whirlpool blocks, a 2″ finished light blue sashing and inner border and a 4″ finished medium blue outer border. I have also shown a couple of other versions of the table runner which are created by reversing the half square triangles in the background. You also can turn the block into a 16″ pillow cover to brighten up your home. We have a pattern called Wonky Hearts Pillow, in our shop, if you would like a pattern for making the pillow cover. I also show the block as a quilt.
Whirlpool TR 2
Whirlpool table runner
Mod Whirlpool TR
Whirlpool Pillow
Whirlpool Quilt
How to get the block
If you are new to our website and are interested in downloading a complimentary PDF pattern of our Whirlpool block for June, all you have to do is look for the box on our blog, on the right hand side, that says “Like this content? Sign up for free updates” and sign up to receive our newsletter. When you have done that, you will receive a welcoming email from us that will contain a coupon code and a link back to the complimentary pattern. You will act as though you are purchasing the pattern and in the cart, you will apply the coupon code, which will make the pattern free. You will need to fill out contact information, but no payment method will be necessary. Don’t worry, we do not send out newsletters very often and we never sell email addresses or contact information. Here is what the pattern looks like. It is in a format very similar to most Blue Bear Quilt patterns, so if you see what you like in this complimentary pattern, you will like our other patterns as well.
Please note: This pattern will only be complimentary during the month of June 2022.
Cover
Current newsletter subscribers, don’t despair! You will be able to download the complimentary pattern as well. You have already been sent a newsletter on June 7th which gave you the coupon code.
Be sure to follow us on our Instagram page, @bluebearquilts, as that is where we occasionally have giveaways.
Be sure to look at my last blog post, which has the details for my May project as an Island Batik Ambassador, where I made a quilt featuring triangles. In May, I also had a quilt featured in the Australian Make Modern Magazine, Issue 46. Be sure to check it out. You can order a copy or subscribe to the magazine from the affiliate link on the right hand side of my blog.
Dashing Diamonds Quilt
Throughout the year, there will be tutorials, blog hops, giveaway, etc. I love batiks and I am so excited to share the projects that I make throughout the coming year with you. If you like my May Project, I can’t wait to share my June project with you. It will be a project that features New York Beauty blocks in it.
MM 46
Please follow me on social media so you don’t miss a thing.
Also, please check out our Tik Tok and YouTube Channels (Blue Bear Quilts) for more quilting fun and inspiration.
We are so happy that you stopped by to visit us in the Quilt Block Mania hop and we hope that you like our block. Please stop by to see all of the other designer’s wonderful blocks.
Quilt Block Mania Ocean
You can click on the links to the other blocks here.
Things are starting to get buggy and Quilt Block Mania is ready with this month’s theme of bugs for May 2022. There are a lot of cool looking bugs with this month’s blocks. Our complimentary block of the month for Quilt Block Mania, during the month of May 2022, Marvelous Moth, is sure to delight bug collectors everywhere. If you like receiving the complimentary blocks from Quilt Block Mania, please share this with your quilting friends on social media (please ask them to sign up for their own copy) so the designers can continue to do this every month. The designers thank you for your support, through your purchases, which allow us to offer these complimentary block patterns each month.
In May 2022, we are offering 20% off two digital download quilt patterns. They are South Seas Shuffle Quilt and Timberland Tumble Quilt. The link to these patterns is here: downloadable-patterns/
SSS Cover
TT Cover
Quilt Block Mania has 15 talented quilt designers creating blocks for this month’s theme- bugs. Here are the theme colors for this month.
may 22 colors
This is the Marvelous Moth block.
Marvelous Moth block
This block features an appliquéd teal and lime moth on a white background.
Here is a photo of the Marvelous Moth block made with fabrics from my stash.
Moth from stash
The Marvelous Moth block makes a festive 44″ x 18″ table runner with 2 Marvelous Moth blocks, 1 center flower block of your choice, 1″ finished lime sashing and inner border and a 2″ finished teal outer border. You also can turn the block into a 16″ pillow cover to brighten up your home. We have a pattern called Wonky Hearts Pillow, in our shop, if you would like a pattern for making the pillow cover. I also show the block as a quilt and wallhanging. Yardage for all the examples is in the pattern.
wall hanging
quilt
pillow
How to get the block
If you are new to our website and are interested in downloading a complimentary PDF pattern of our Marvelous Moth block for May, all you have to do is look for the box on our blog, on the right hand side, that says “Like this content? Sign up for free updates” and sign up to receive our newsletter. When you have done that, you will receive a welcoming email from us that will contain a coupon code and a link back to the complimentary pattern. You will act as though you are purchasing the pattern and in the cart, you will apply the coupon code, which will make the pattern free. You will need to fill out contact information, but no payment method will be necessary. Don’t worry, we do not send out newsletters very often and we never sell email addresses or contact information. Here is what the pattern looks like. It is in a format very similar to most Blue Bear Quilt patterns, so if you see what you like in this complimentary pattern, you will like our other patterns as well.
Please note: This pattern will only be complimentary during the month of May 2022.
Moth Cover
Current newsletter subscribers, don’t despair! You will be able to download the complimentary pattern as well. You have already been sent a newsletter on May 3rd which gave you the coupon code.
Be sure to follow us on our Instagram page, @bluebearquilts, as that is where we occasionally have giveaways.
Be sure to look at my last several posts, which have the details for my April project as an Island Batik Ambassador. In April, I made a memory bear from the Funky Friends Factory.
Buttons
Throughout the year, there will be tutorials, blog hops, giveaway, etc. I love batiks and I am so excited to share the projects that I make throughout the coming year with you. If you like my April Project, I can’t wait to share my May project with you. It will be a project that incorporates triangle blocks in it.
Please follow me on social media so you don’t miss a thing.
Also, please check out our Tik Tok and YouTube Channels (Blue Bear Quilts) for more quilting fun and inspiration.
We are so happy that you stopped by to visit us in the Quilt Block Mania hop and we hope that you like our block. Please stop by to see all of the other designer’s wonderful blocks.
May Bug Themed Blocks
You can click on the links to the other blocks here.
Spring is getting ready to appear any day and Quilt Block Mania is getting ready with a theme of birds for March 2022. There are a lot of fine feathered friends with this month’s blocks. Our complimentary block of the month for Quilt Block Mania, during the month of March 2022, Budgie on a Branch, will warm your heart and is the perfect design to place on a pillow, table runner or wallhanging. If you like receiving the complimentary blocks from Quilt Block Mania, please share this with your quilting friends on social media (please ask them to sign up for their own copy) so the designers can continue to do this every month. The designers thank you for your support, through your purchases, which allow us to offer these complimentary block patterns each month.
In March 2022, we are offering 20% off two digital download quilt patterns. They are Feeling Groovy Quilt and Scarborough Fair Quilt. The link to these patterns is here: downloadable-patterns/
Both of these patterns use the fabric line that we are giving away this month. The announcement of the giveaway is explained below.
FG Cover
SF Cover
Quilt Block Mania has 16 talented quilt designers creating blocks for this month’s theme- birds. Here are the theme colors for this month.
Color palette March 2022
This is the Budgie on a Branch block.
Budgie on a Branch
This block features an appliquéd teal and lime bird sitting on a dark gray branch on a white background.
Here is a photo of the Budgie on a Branch block made with fabrics from my stash.
Sewn BB
The Budgie on a Branch block makes a festive 31″ x 18″ table runner with 2 Budgie on a Branch blocks, 1″ dark gray sashing and inner border and a 2″ finished teal outer border. You also can turn the block into a 16″ pillow cover to brighten up your home. We have a pattern called Wonky Hearts Pillow, in our shop, if you would like a pattern for making the pillow cover. I also show the block as a quilt and wallhanging. Yardage for all the examples is in the pattern.
BB wallhanging
BB quilt
BB 2 Wallhanging
BB pillow
How to get the block
If you are new to our website and are interested in downloading a complimentary PDF pattern of our Budgie on a Branch block for March, all you have to do is look for the box on our blog, on the right hand side, that says “Like this content? Sign up for free updates” and sign up to receive our newsletter. When you have done that, you will receive a welcoming email from us that will contain a coupon code and a link back to the complimentary pattern. You will act as though you are purchasing the pattern and in the cart, you will apply the coupon code, which will make the pattern free. You will need to fill out contact information, but no payment method will be necessary. Don’t worry, we do not send out newsletters very often and we never sell email addresses or contact information. Here is what the pattern looks like. It is in a format very similar to most Blue Bear Quilt patterns, so if you see what you like in this complimentary pattern, you will like our other patterns as well.
Please note: This pattern will only be complimentary during the month of March 2022.
BB cover
Current newsletter subscribers, don’t despair! You will be able to download the complimentary pattern as well. You have already been sent a newsletter on March 8th which gave you the coupon code.
Be sure to follow us on our Instagram page, @bluebearquilts, as that is where we occasionally have giveaways. We are currently having a giveaway, during the month of March to celebrate National Quilting Month and the fact that we have reached over 1200 newsletter subscribers. We are so grateful for all of your support. Here is a picture of the fat quarter bundle of QT Fabric’s Brilliance line that is being given away along with a copy of the Feeling Groovy pattern. If you like this fabric, both of the patterns that we have on sale this month use this fabric line.
FQ Giveaway
Be sure to look at my last post, which has the details for my February quilt project as an Island Batik Ambassador. The quilt is called Timberland Tumble and it is a row by row quilt as each row has a different block. There will be a pattern coming out in late March after the pattern testers are done testing it. The pattern for my January project called South Seas Shuffle is now available on my website.
Timberland Tumble Quilt
South Seas Shuffle Quilt
Throughout the year, there will be tutorials, blog hops, giveaway, etc. I love batiks and I am so excited to share the projects that I make throughout the coming year with you. If you like my February Project, I can’t wait to share my March project with you. It will be a project emphasizing Aurifil thread and the city of Milan Italy.
Please follow me on social media so you don’t miss a thing.
Also, please check out our Tik Tok and YouTube Channels (Blue Bear Quilts) for more quilting fun and inspiration.
We are so happy that you stopped by to visit us in the Quilt Block Mania hop and we hope that you like our block. Please stop by to see all of the other designer’s wonderful blocks.
Bird Quilt Blocks – Quilt Block Mania
You can click on the links to the other blocks here.
I have completed my February project as an Island Batik Ambassador and I am so excited to share it with you. This month is a blog hop and if you check out the Island Batik blog, you can enter each week to win a fat quarter bundle of some of the fabrics that the Ambassadors are using in their projects. I will show the other fabric collections later in this blog post and there will be a link to the giveaway from Island Batik.
Row by Wow Blog Hop
The February project was to make a row by row quilt using an upcoming fabric line from Island Batik. I was so excited when the fabric I was given to use was Evergreen and Pine by Kathy Engle. Just look at this gorgeous collection of green and tan batik fabrics. The Evergreen & Pine Batiks may be found at your local quilt shop that carries Island Batik, such as Fabric Smart in St. Petersburg FL. You may find them online at www.fabric-smart.com or call them at 727-914-8850.
Evergreen & Pine
The quilt I made is called Timberland Tumble. It is a large lap quilt size 56″ x 77.” This is a striking quilt with a different block in each row. I think it is sometimes difficult to come up with fabrics and quilt patterns that would be appropriate to make for a man, but I feel this quilt accomplishes that and would be an awesome quilt to make for the men in your life. This quilt is easy to make as it is composed mainly of half square triangles, a few squares and maybe a quarter square triangle or two.
Timberland Tumble Quilt
TT location
I will have a pattern coming out in March 2022 for this quilt after the testers are done testing the pattern. The batik bundle I was provided was the Evergreen and Pine collection by Kathy Engle. Look at this glorious selection of green and tan batiks. These fabrics were so beautiful that it was really hard to cut them up.
Evergreen and Pine
E&P
Row by Row quilts are made with rows of quilt blocks, with each row distinct from the others. I decided to showcase the wide world of blocks that can easily be made from half square triangles. Although all of these blocks can be made from half square triangles, and a few squares and quarter square triangles, I did construct a few of the blocks using larger quarter square triangles and trapezoids as I wanted to showcase the fabric and have less seams to sew after cutting the pieces with my Accuquilt Go! Big Cutter. Here is a picture of using the Accuquilt cutter to cut out some of the shapes.
Accuquilt cutter
You can see that it makes beautiful cuts which are so easy to piece together. Also, I love the fact that there are no dog ears to trim and if you do a really accurate job of sewing your 1/4″ seam, there is nothing that needs to be trimmed. This really saves a lot of time and effort.
I downloaded the images of the fabric collection into my Electric Quilt software, which is the software I use to design quilts. This is what the quilt looked like in the software. I have included a couple of close ups of the blocks with the gorgeous Evergreen and Pine fabric in them.
TT EQ8
row 10
row 5
row 6
I also like to often piece the backs of my quilts, which I did for this one. I used some of the fat quarters that I did not use in the quilt to add some interest to the back of the quilt. Here is picture of the back. If you are on TikTok, be sure to check out the video I have posted with me and the quilt. (Look for Blue Bear Quilts)
back of the quilt
To quilt the quilt on my Bernina 770 QE, I did stitch in the ditch with the edgestitch #10D foot, which was easy to do as there was a square grid of the half square triangle shapes. I used black 50 wt. Aurifil thread on the front and a tan on the back. Schmetz Needles sent the Ambassadors some of their needles and I used a 70/10 quilting needle. I used Hobbs Premium Polyester Poly-down batting. I had never used this batting before and it was very easy to quilt on my Bernina. Hobbs Poly-Down Batting is made with very fine, white, denier polyester which enables the batting to provide a soft feel and lovely drape. It is prized by machine quilters for its wonderful loft which accentuates quilting details. It is also very light weight.
Polydown_batting
The supplies I used to make this project were provided by:
Island Batik Evergreen and Pine for the top and Pearl for the backing.
The other amazing Island Batik Ambassadors are also posting their February Blog Hop quilts. For this week in the blog hop, on Tuesday, Suzy Webster and Connie Kauffman posted on the Contempo fabric line and on Thursday, Brianna Roberts and Sandra Starley will be posting on the Graphic line from Island Batik. Check out their projects by clicking on the links next to their names to be directed to their blog posts.
Be sure to check out the other amazing Row by Row quilts (I have seen some amazing quilts so far) and all the fabulous new Island Batik Collections!
February is a month for love with Valentine’s Day and Quilt Block Mania is thinking ahead with a theme of wedding for this month. If you have any weddings coming up, you are sure to find a great project to make with this month’s blocks. Our complimentary block of the month for Quilt Block Mania, during the month of February, Hearts Aflutter, is the perfect design to place in a pillow, table runner or quilt. With the chosen color scheme this month, it has a Scandinavian feel to it for me. If you like receiving the complimentary blocks from Quilt Block Mania, please share this with your quilting friends on social media (please ask them to sign up for their own copy) so the designers can continue to do this every month. The designers thank you for your support, through your purchases, which allow us to offer these complimentary block patterns each month.
In February, we are offering 20% off two digital download quilt patterns. They are Sunbonnet Sue Calendar Quilt and Zany Zasu Quilt. The link to these patterns is here: downloadable-patterns/
Cover
Zany Zasu Pattern Cover
Quilt Block Mania has 16 talented quilt designers creating blocks for this month’s theme- wedding. Here are the theme colors for this month.
wedding color scheme
This is the Hearts Aflutter block.
Hearts Aflutter Block
This block features an appliqué wreath of orange, yellow and medium teal hearts on a light teal background with dark teal leaves and a yellow circle in the center.
Here is a photo of the Hearts Aflutter block made with fabrics from my stash.
The Hearts Aflutter block makes a festive 44″ x 18″ table runner with 3 heart blocks, 1″ dark teal sashing and a 2″ finished yellow outer border. You also can turn the block into a 16″ pillow cover to brighten up your home. We have a pattern called Wonky Hearts Pillow, in our shop, if you would like a pattern for making the pillow cover. I also show the block as a quilt and wallhanging. Yardage for all the examples is in the pattern.
Hearts TR
Hearts quilt
Hearts wallhanging
Hearts Aflutter pillow
How to get the block
If you are new to our website and are interested in downloading a complimentary PDF pattern of our Hearts Aflutter block for February, all you have to do is look for the box on our blog, on the right hand side, that says “Like this content? Sign up for free updates” and sign up to receive our newsletter. When you have done that, you will receive a welcoming email from us that will contain a coupon code and a link back to the complimentary pattern. You will act as though you are purchasing the pattern and in the cart, you will apply the coupon code, which will make the pattern free. You will need to fill out contact information, but no payment method will be necessary. Don’t worry, we do not send out newsletters very often and we never sell email addresses or contact information. Here is what the pattern looks like. It is in a format very similar to most Blue Bear Quilt patterns, so if you see what you like in this complimentary pattern, you will like our other patterns as well.
Please note: This pattern will only be complimentary during the month of February 2022.
Hearts Cover
Current newsletter subscribers, don’t despair! You will be able to download the complimentary pattern as well. You have already been sent a newsletter on February 1st which gave you the coupon code.
Be sure to follow us on our Instagram page, @bluebearquilts, as that is where we occasionally have giveaways. We will be having one soon to celebrate over 1000 email subscribers.
Be sure to look at my last post, which has the details for my January quilt project as an Island Batik Ambassador.
South Seas Shuffle Quilt
Throughout the year, there will be tutorials, blog hops, giveaway, etc. I love batiks and I am so excited to share the projects that I make throughout the coming year with you. If you like my January Project, I can’t wait to share my February project with you on February 9th. It will be a row by row quilt, which is something that I have not done before.
Please follow me on social media so you don’t miss a thing.
Also, please check out our Tik Tok and YouTube Channels (Blue Bear Quilts) for more quilting fun and inspiration.
We are so happy that you stopped by to visit us in the Quilt Block Mania hop and we hope that you like our block. Please stop by to see all of the other designer’s wonderful blocks.
QBM Feb 22
You can click on the links to the other blocks here.
I am so excited to be an Island Batik Ambassador for 2022.
Each month, I will be sharing a different project using upcoming fabric lines from Island Batik.
Unboxing video
If you would like to see my unboxing video, where I show all of the fabric and batting Island Batik and Hobbs sent to me, here is a link to my YouTube video: https://youtu.be/Q-MN2HbI6dg. Be sure to subscribe and click the bell so the you will be notified when I post more videos.
For the month of January, the challenge was to create a step by step quilt using the Island Batik basic line of Gradations.
01 – Step by Step Challenge
The quilt I made is called South Seas Shuffle. It is a large lap quilt size 56″ x 62.”
South Seas Shuffle Quilt.
South Seas Shuffle Quilt
This is a modern quilt using the traditional flying geese block. It’s modern in that the geese are going in many directions, there are large white negative spaces and there are partial seam blocks in the construction of the quilt. I will have a pattern coming out in February 2022 for this quilt after the testers are done testing the pattern. I also will have a YouTube video for how to sew the partial seam block unit in this quilt. The batik bundle I was provided was Brilliant Blues. Look at this glorious selection of blue batiks. Island Batik developed ten different colorways of gradations with 20 steps in each. There are so many quilt projects that make use of gradations in color and value. Yardage for the Gradation Batiks may be found at your local quilt shop that carries Island Batik, such as Fabric Smart in St. Petersburg FL. You may find them online at www.fabric-smart.com or call them at 727-914-8850.
BB Bundle
Brilliant Blues
The idea behind the step by step challenge was to incorporate the gradation of light, medium and dark colors into a quilt. Sometimes it is difficult to determine if a color should be placed into the light, medium, or dark category. In order to do that, it helps to place them next to each other. If it is still too difficult to determine, a little trick is to take a picture of them and then use the filters in your phone’s camera app to turn the picture into a B&W monochromatic picture. Then it is easier to see the differences in values. Squinting at the photos and fabrics helps as well. In the photos below, it looks like the 1st and 3rd batiks might be about the same value, but in the B&W photo, you can see the the 3rd batik is clearly lighter that the 1st. So in the color photo, the 1st batik is the dark, the 2nd and 3rd are the mediums and the 4th batik is the light value. The value of a fabric can change when you place different lights and darks next to it.
Color values
black and white image
I downloaded the images of the fabric collection into my Electric Quilt software, which is the software I use to design quilts. This is what the quilt looked like in the software.
South Seas Shuffle Quilt in EQ8
I used the measurements of the Accuquilt Flying Geese die to create the size of the blocks. Then the EQ8 software told me how much yardage I needed of each fabric and gave me the rotary cutting diagrams for the non-Accuquilt pieces.
Each one of the flying geese blocks has a blue batik with a light, medium and dark value. This creates the gradation in colors. I cut the blue batik quarter square triangles, which are in the flying geese blocks, using the Accuquilt cutter and die. Since the Accuquilt cutter and die cuts off the dog ears, it is easy to line up the pieces for sewing and there is no trimming that needs to be done after the pieces are sewn together.
When the quilt top was all sewn together, I took it outside to let the sun shine through the quilt as I knew these brilliant blue batiks would sing in the sunshine and wow did they.
SSS see through
Looking at this photo on my iPhone, I discovered something new called Lookup -Artwork. When I clicked on that, it showed me different artist’s works that were similar in feel to my quilt. I was amazed by what they came up with, so I though I would share those other artist’s works with you.
Other’s Artwork
Other’s Artwork
Other’s Artwork
Other’s Artwork
Other’s Artwork
To quilt the quilt on my Bernina 770 QE, I did stitch in the ditch with the edgestitch #10D foot.
Stitch in the ditch quilting
I did some quilting in the negative white spaces to mimic the flying geese that were in the other blocks. I used the Creative Grids “Chevy” ruler, designed by Angela Walters, to do this quilting.
Negative space quilting
I also wanted to do some echo quilting, which means quilting next to the seam lines, within the blue flying geese. So, I switched to a blue Aurifil thread and then used the Line Tamer ruler by Fourpawsquilting.com to get straight lines with my echo quilting.
Four Paws ruler
Echo quilting
I used a new Schmetz 70/10 quilting needle. Using new needle on a new quilting project just makes your life so much easier.
I used Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 Bleached batting as the quilt top had a lot of white in it and I did not want the batting to show through the fabrics. This batting was very easy to quilt on my Bernina. It is fairly thin and gives your quilt a beautiful drape and also lays fairly flat. It is also light weight and breathable so it makes a good batting for a summer quilt or if used in a warmer climate. It’s loft is 1/8″; it’s shrinkage is 3-5% and the maximum stitch distance when quilting is 4.”
HobbsHeirloom8020Bleached
What I liked about using Island Batik fabrics:
The colors are so vibrant.
There is a wonderful texture in the fabrics.
They have very little fraying after they have been cut.
They produce very little lint in your sewing machine.
They are tightly woven, yet very light. I had been working with the batiks for awhile and then switched to regular quilting cotton. I thought the quilting cotton was so heavy that I had a double layer, but I did not. The light weight of the batiks would make for an overall lighter quilt, depending on your batting and how much quilting you put onto the top.
The supplies I used to make this project were provided by:
Island Batik Foundations Fabrics: Brilliant Blues, White, and Black for the top and Pearl for the backing.
Blue Bear likes this quilt because of its fabulous blue colors. He hopes you like it too!
Blue Bear with quilt
The other amazing Island Batik Ambassadors are also posting their first quilts of the year. They are all making wonderful gradation quilts in a rainbow of colors. Check out their projects by clicking on the links next to their names to be directed to their blog posts.
NY Beauty
